House Scholar Jack Veatch was selected as a sponsored participant of the Festival of Young Preachers 2018, held in Atlanta on January 3-5. The Fund for Theological Education enabled him to participate along with a preaching mentor. He selected Associate Dean Yvonne Gilmore as his mentor. Watch and listen to him preach here. Former resident Braxton Shelley, now a professor at Harvard, was among the workshop leaders. Jack Veatch is pictured here with Divinity School alumnus Ernest A. Brooks, who has been installed as the new president of the Academy of Preachers. 

We give gratitute to Lee Hull Moses, who has served as a member of the Board of Trustees since 2007, and, for the past three years, as its president. We are grateful for her vision and creativity, and for what her leadership has meant for DDH and its students. She is the Senior Minister of the First Christian Church of Greensboro, North Carolina, where she also served as mentor to DDH alumnae Thandiwe Dale-Ferguson and Judith Guy who completed full-time internships in Greensboro.

On January 1, the gavel passes to April J. Lewton, alumna and Vice President of Development and Marketing at the National Benevolent Association (NBA). A trustee since 2010, she has served as the chair of the Development Committee for the past two years. Her wider church leadership includes service as the former Moderator of the North American Pacific Asian Disciples (NAPAD).

Dorothy Coffman Messenger died on November 5 in Edmond, Oklahoma. She was 102. She was born March 4, 1915, in Dallas, Texas, to John Richard Coffman and Rhe Harper Coffman. She attended Texas Christian University, where she met G.L. “Andy” Messenger. They were married August 27, 1936, and both graduated from TCU in 1937. She earned the Bachelor of Science Degree in Business.

After college, they moved to Chicago, where G.L. entered the University of Chicago as a Disciples Divinity House Scholar. She was employed at the International Council of Religious Education, which later merged with the Federal Council of Churches to become the National Council of Churches. Her responsibilities included meeting arrangements for scholars working on the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Their first full-time pastorate was at Canyon, Texas, where they began serving in the fall of 1939 and where their daughter, Myrna (Ranney), was born. There followed two more Texas pastorates, at Center and at Denton, and the birth of their two sons, MacDiarmid and Scribner. They served the Glen Oak Christian Church in Peoria, Illinois, and then in Oklahoma at First Christian in Stillwater, Disciples Christian Church in Bartlesville, and First Christian, Woodward. In Oklahoma, Dorothy was employed for 28 years in the field of accounting.

Dorothy Messenger was active in all phases of church life. She was moderator of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma, 1982-84, president of the Oklahoma Christian Women's Fellowship, and an elder. She taught church school classes with all ages, led retreats and numerous workshops, and spoke in churches across Oklahoma. She volunteered in many interdenominational projects. She was beloved as a teacher, adviser, and mentor. She was predeceased by her husband, to whom she had been married for almost 67 years. In 2005, she created the G.L. “Andy” and Dorothy Coffman Messenger Fund at the Disciples Divinity House. She is survived by her daughter and two sons, and by numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held November 16 at Southern Hills Christian Church in Edmond.

Katherine A. Dey, friend of Disciples House Scholars and benefactor, died October 5, in Arlington, Virginia, due to pneumonia complications. She was 96. In a quiet, determined way, she established two named scholarships at the Disciples Divinity House, the M. Elizabeth Dey Scholarship and the Drum and Tenant Scholarship. The first scholarship remembered her beloved grandmother, "Mom." Ms. Dey saw the opportunity to remember her in a way that reflected "her life, her concern for others, her religious convictions and insight into human nature, and what she meant to me." The second scholarship fulfilled her friend Florence Drum's desire to honor her own mother, Eleanor Tenant. All four women--Katherine and Elizabeth Dey, Flo Drum and Eleanor Tenant--were "doers" associated with the Wilson Boulevard Christian Church in Arlington. DDH alumnus Ray Schultz was the pastor of the church during a formative period. Katherine Dey sought to pass this heritage of strength and action to next generations of ministers and church leaders.

Born March 21, 1921, Katherine and her sister Frances were reared on Wilson Blvd. by their paternal grandparents, M. Elizabeth and Edward S. Dey. After 1939 graduation from Washington-Lee High School, she worked as a typist in the Arlington Circuit Court Clerk's office until 1942 when she moved to Jacksonville, Florida, to work on National Defense projects. For over two and a half years, she worked as a Class A Welder at the St. John's River Shipbuilding Company, where 61 Liberty Ships were built and launched. When the contract completed, she went to work as an Aircraft Mechanic for a year at the Jacksonville Naval Air Base, repairing war-damaged fighter aircraft wings and replacing glass windows. In 1948, Katherine began her 32-year service with the Department of Defense, National Security Agency, retiring in 1980.

She was a lifetime member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). In 1974 she was the first female church board chair and one of the first two female elders elected in the Capital Area of the Christian Church. In 1983, she became a volunteer driver in the Community Volunteer Services Division of the Arlington Chapter, American Red Cross; three years later, she became volunteer Transportation Coordinator, continuing for over 10 years. In recognition of her exemplary volunteer service, Katherine was awarded the first Chapter Board Chairman's "Inspiration Award" in 1994. In 2010, she was recognized for 27 years of voluntary service to the Arlington Red Cross Chapter. She had served a total of 23,375 volunteer hours. She is survived by loving cousins and devoted friends who cherish her legacy of humor, generosity, and faith. Her sister, Frances predeceased her. Memorial contributions can be made to the Disciples Divinity House or to the First Christian Church of Falls Church, Virginia.

Welcome new Disciples Scholars (L to R): Luke Soderstrom (MA), Victoria Wick (MDiv), and Rachel Abdoler (PhD). Luke Soderstrom is MDiv graduate of Western Theological Seminary who serves part-time as an assistant to HELM President Chris Dorsey. He was just joining a Disciples congregation in Michigan when he began his MA studies last year; this year he is a new Disciples House Scholar. He is interested in pursuing PhD work in theology. Victoria Wick, a member of the Christian Temple in Baltimore, is a 2015 graduate of St. John’s College in Annapolis who had been working full-time in student services there. Her background, vocational discernment, and the appeal of an atmosphere of ideas, conversation, and engagement propelled her toward DDH and the Divinity School. Rachel Abdoler, who completed her MDiv as a Disciples House Scholar and with a commitment to interfaith engagement, enters the PhD program in the History of Christianity to pursue a fascinating project on medieval Christian communities in majority Muslim contexts whose little-translated texts were written in Arabic.

DDH welcomes the return of two MDiv Scholars after a year away on full-time internships: Devon Crawford, who interned with the national office of the NAACP in Baltimore as it responded to these consequential times, and Virginia White, who furthered her understanding of nonprofit organizations and theological reflection while working with Week of Compassion, the Disciples disaster relief and humanitarian assistance program fund, and with the Oakland Peace Center. DDH also welcomes six additional new residents who are beginning MA and MDiv studies at the Divinity School, and the return of former resident Uk Ryel, who is pursuing his PhD at CTS.

During the past two years, The Enhancing Life Project has explored the aspiration of human beings to live better. Given the profound expansion of human power through technology as well as advances in genetics, ecology, and other fields, the vulnerability and endangerment as well as the enhancement of life are dominant themes in the global age. Kris Culp is one of the 35 Enhancing Life Scholars from around the world who will present research results at the Capstone Conference at the University of Chicago Gleacher Center. Andrew Packman and Darryl Dale-Ferguson are among the students giving "night talks" as part of the conference on Friday, August 4.

Disciples Divinity House alumna Rev. Teresa (Terri) Hord Owens was elected by an overwhelming majority at General Assembly on Sunday, July 9, as the General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. AlumnaeYvonne Gilmore and Alexis Kassim made powerful speeches in support of Rev. Owens, who is the first African-American woman to lead the denomination and to lead any mainline Protestant denomination. Rev. Owens has been Dean of Students at the Divinity School since 2005, and she serves as Senior Minister of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Downers Grove, Illinois.

“We saw in Terri that unique combination of pastoral leadership, active presence in all expressions of the Church, and administrative experience that the search committee believed was most needed,” said Search Committee Chair Jackie Bunch. “She has experience as a local pastor, theologian and leader. The search committee recognized that leading the Church in this day and age requires a certain business acumen as well as a heart for ministry. We see that Terri brings that special mix of academic, executive, and pastoral qualities that are required for leading the Disciples through this time in our North American culture. She has a background of bringing together diverse groups for dialogue that will serve the Church well.”

A Disciple since young adulthood, Rev. Owens comes to the position in a time of renewed emphasis on the issues of race, particularly in the United States. "We need to stop demonizing differences as deficiencies," Rev. Owens said. "We should seek to understand, to work through our differences in priorities, opinions, methods, and goals. This will not be easy, but imagine what an example this will be for the world if we can bridge the gaps in politics, identity, geography and theology."

Rev. Owens's election follows the 12-year tenure of the Rev. Sharon E. Watkins, who was the first woman to lead a mainline denomination in the United States. She will serve a six year term with an option for re-election in 2023 for an additional six-year term. Rev. Owens's installation service was held on July 12, the final evening of the General Assembly (Disciples of Christ).

Alumni Beau Underwood and Tim Lee were installed as First and Second Vice Moderator of the General Assembly of the Christian Church on July 12. Sue Morris, a fourth-generation Disciple and member of First Christian Church of Omaha, Nebraska, who is the president of Heritage Services, was installed as Moderator. She has been serving as Moderator-elect. Belva Brown Jordan, an associate dean at the Claremont School of Theology and dean of the Disciples Seminary Foundation in Claremont, California, was installed as moderator elect. The moderator team for 2017-19 is standing together with Rev. Owens, newly elected General Minister and President, around the communion table during closing worship in the bottom photo to the right.

Alumnus Beau Underwood has served as the senior minister of First Christian Church in Jefferson City, Missouri, for the past two years. He previously served as the senior director of advocacy and communications at Sojourners in Washington, DC, and an assistant minister at National City Christian Church. He is a graduate of Eureka College and an MDiv/MA in Public Policy graduate of the University of Chicago.

Alumnus Timothy S. Lee is an ordained minister and an historian of Christianity at Brite Divinity School. He is an expert on Christianity in Korea. He is a PhD graduate of the Divinity School in the History of Christianity, where he also earned a certificate in Ministerial Studies. He was ordained in 1996 at Chicago Christian Church (DOC), under the mentorship of the late Rev. Soongook Choi. He has given significant leadership to the Disciples of Christ, including as NAPAD Moderator.

Daisy L. Machado, Professor of Church History at Union Theological Seminary, was presented the Distinguished Alumna Award at DDH's General Assembly luncheon on July 11. The Alumni/ae Council selected her as the nineteenth recipient of the award. Ms. Machado earned her PhD in 1996 from the University of Chicago Divinity School as a Disciples Divinity House Scholar. 

The award commends her as a "trailblazing scholar and minister" and as an "esteemed mentor, dean, teacher, colleague." It recognizes her: "For excellence in teaching in and beyond the classroom; for tenacious, transformative leadership in theological education; for inspiring and guiding emerging scholars, especially through the Hispanic Theological Initiative; for wise advocacy for Latino/a faculty members; for advancing  the historical and conceptual study of borderlands; and for courageous dedication to those who are forgotten and pushed aside, to Las Desaperacidas."

The luncheon began with music by House Scholar Hannah Fitch. Trustee David Vargas shared the invocation. TCU professor and Alumni/ae Council member Santiago Pinon introduced her, using the image of "spelunking" to depict her extraordinary leadership and teaching and her courage in mapping new terrains in scholarship. Dean Culp and Melinda Wood, President of the Alumni/ae Council, presented the award. Ms. Machado spoke in response. Her remarks challenged the audience to critical analysis, presence, and action. Remarks were also offered by alumna Teresa Hord Owens, newly elected General Minister and President, by Lee Hull Moses, President of the Board of Trustees, and by the dean. 

An article regarding the work of DDH Resident and recent graduate, Braxton Shelley, MDiv and PhD from the Department of Music in Music Theory, was recently featured in the June 2017 UChicago Arts newsletter. The article, titled "Tuning Up: Braxton Shelley takes a pioneering look at the structure and meaning of gospel music," was originally published in Tableau, the magazine of the Division of the Humanities at the University of Chicago.

"Shelley is 'one of a kind in so many ways,' says his adviser, Steven Rings, associate professor in Music. His dissertation takes a musicological approach—a close reading of notes, chords, harmonies, and forms—which is a first for gospel. 'There is no precedent in music theory, if you can believe it,' says Rings. Musicology and music theory initially focused on European classical music, and more recently on contemporary music like the Beatles. Shelley is the first to apply this approach to understanding how gospel music works." Read the full article here.

Shelley has accepted a faculty position at Harvard University's Department of Music.